Does insulin resistance cause infertility?
If you’re struggling with infertility, there is one hormone that you need to have on your radar…insulin!
High insulin & blood glucose levels have been linked with longer time to pregnancy, irregular periods, increased risk of miscarriage & poorer sperm health.
In this blog post I’m going to break down what insulin is, how insulin can impact on your fertility & I’ll share with you 3 simple tips to help keep your insulin levels well managed.
What is insulin
Insulin is a hormone that is produced by an organ in your body called the pancreas. Insulin helps glucose into the cells in your body so that your body can use this glucose for energy.
Carbohydrate rich foods such as bread, pasta, rice, fruit, potatoes, legumes/beans as well as foods such as soft drinks, fruit juice, lollies, chips, pastries and cakes all break down into glucose & cause your blood glucose levels (often referred to as blood sugar levels) to rise. Once this glucose enters your bloodstream, insulin is then released to help the glucose to move into your cells.
Insulin resistance occurs when insulin finds it difficult to help glucose into your cells. When you have insulin resistance, you experience both high glucose & high insulin in your blood which can impact on your fertility & cause symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue & increased appetite.
Signs that you might have high insulin
unexplained weight gain or difficulties losing weight
weight gain predominantly around your belly
excess hair growth, particularly on the chest, chin, lip, back & buttocks
you have been diagnosed with PCOS ( 75%-95% of people with PCOS will also experience insulin resistance)
Irregular periods
Fatigue
Intense food cravings
Increased appetite
Infertility
Although increased weight can worsen insulin resistance, it’s important to remember that insulin resistance can occur at any body size!
How does insulin impact on your fertility?
When you have too much insulin in your blood, this can effect the reproductive hormones that control ovulation & your menstrual cycle.
High levels of insulin can cause your ovaries to start producing more testosterone, which can stop ovulation completely.
High levels of insulin also decreases the amount of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) that your liver produces. SHBG binds to sex hormones such as testosterone & makes them inactive. If you have low amounts of SHBG, this means you can have less inactive testosterone & more free testosterone in your body which can cause excess hair growth, acne, hair fall & can stop you ovulating.
High insulin & low levels of SHBG have also been linked with weight gain.
High insulin can stimulate your appetite, increase cravings & can cause your body to store fat particular around your stomach. Excess body fat can interfere with the hormones involved in ovulation, leading to an increased risk of irregular periods.
Insulin resistance can also impact on early pregnancy, with insulin resistance being recognised as an independent risk factor for miscarriage
Emerging research also shows that Insulin resistance is linked with poorer embryo quality & a lower percentage of mature eggs in lean women without PCOS who were undergoing IVF.
Insulin resistance & high blood glucose levels can also negatively impact on male fertility. Research suggests that men who have high blood sugar levels had higher levels of damage to sperm DNA & were at an increased risk of unexplained azoospermia which is a condition where men have no sperm in their ejaculate.
How do you know if you have insulin resistance?
If you’re experiencing any of the signs & symptoms of insulin resistance, it’s important to speak with your medical doctor. Tests such as fasting glucose & HbA1C only measure what is happening with your blood sugar levels, they don’t measure how much insulin is in your blood.
Two important blood tests that can measure the amount of insulin in your blood include:
Fasting Insulin
Fasting insulin is a blood test that measures the amount of insulin in your blood after fasting for at least 8 hours. Your health professional can use your fasting insulin & fasting glucose levels in an calculation called the HOMA-IR equation, to determine how likely it is that you have insulin resistance.2 hour Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) with insulin
A 2 hour OGTT first requires you have a fasting blood test to measure your glucose & insulin. You then drink a high glucose drink & have your blood taken 1 and 2 hours after to measure the amount of insulin & glucose in your blood. An OGTT allows us to see how much insulin is in your blood after a very high amount of glucose.
Can diet manage insulin levels & improve fertility?
The good news is diet & lifestyle can play a huge role in managing your insulin levels & improving your fertility (and don’t worry you don’t need to cut out carbs completely from your diet!).
Whilst there are a number of different nutrition, supplement & lifestyle strategies that can be beneficial for managing your insulin & fertility, here are 3 tips to get you started:
Establish regular eating patterns
To keep blood sugar levels stable, aim to eat every 3-5 hours. Avoid going long periods without eating as this can increase your risk of overeating at your next meal. When you eat a large quantity of food at once, this can cause your body to produce large amounts of insulin very quickly.
It’s also equally as important to give your body a 3-5 hours break in between eating.Don’t cut carbs completely
You don’t need to cut carbs completely out of your diet to manage insulin resistance.
Choose good quality, low glycemic index (GI) carbs, eat them in amounts that are right for your individual needs (a dietitian can help you work out how many carbs are best for you!) & eat your carbs as part of a well balanced meal or snack with adequate protein, fat & fibre. Building well balanced meals & snacks causes your blood glucose levels to rise gradually over a longer period of time. Not only does this reduce the amount of insulin your body needs to produce at once, it can also help with your appetite, which is important if you’re managing your weight.Move your body
Exercise is one of the best ways to naturally improve insulin sensitivity. A light, 10 minute walk after eating is a simple way to help your body use insulin more effectively.
If you’re after guided support & a clear path to reversing your insulin resistance & improving your fertility naturally, book a free Clarity Call with expert PCOS & Fertility Dietitian Ebony Crameri HERE.